Honour
by thunda2
Summary: Final hours of the Federation's last real man, Ven Jarvik.


"Woman, you're beautiful." Well, she asked if I had anything to say to her and I had wanted to tell her that since the first day I laid eyes upon her. Being there was a good chance I would be executed before the day's end I pulled her close and planted a kiss on those lovely ruby lips, something else I wanted to do since I first saw her. She summoned her guard, of course, I'd have been disappointed if she hadn't, but the guards were slow and clumsy, more suited to dealing with doped up dome dwellers than a man like Ven Jarvik. Disarming them was as much fun as it was easy. I could have killed them then with their own weapons, and her too, but these men had taken the same oath I had, to serve and protect the Federation, and Servalan ruled the Federation, so there would be no honor in that. I yielded.

"I didn't come to brawl with the security grades," I informed her before her features softened and the fire in her eyes diminished. With her curiosity piqued her attention was required on her previous dilemma while I waited witnessing all of her computers, admirals, and advisors pitted against one man, Tarrant. The outcome was inevitable. Finally, she sought my council.

Alone, in her quarters, Servalan was no less imposing than when she was on the command deck. I admired her as she stood there in all her splendid majesty, a cobra reared up in a flowerbed on a mid-summer's day, so beautiful, so deadly and as a moth is drawn to an open flame so was I captivated. There was something I sensed buried deep within the warrior queen, the maiden beneath the armor, the butterfly struggling to escape the cocoon, the woman who had yet to achieve her true potential. I tried my best to reach her. As I studied her she did the same with me, probing my strengths, gauging for weaknesses, taking my measure, trying to ascertain if I was all talk and bluster or truly capable of backing up my bravado. She had known many men though none quite like me, but to be fair there were no other men like me. She set before me a mighty task, she desired the Liberator taken and Tarrant humbled, a task I was more than qualified and capable of achieving. With the smell of her perfume enchanting me and the taste of her lips still fresh in my memory I felt the framework of a plan hatching in my mind so I tore myself away from her enchantment to make preparations.

"But first there is a question of that degrading and primitive act to which I was subjected in the control room," she stated, causing me to pause, expecting a good stiff, well deserved slap."I should like you to do it again."

Well now, perhaps I did reach part of her, and the preparations could wait.

Centuries ago a general once said, "If you know your enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles." I had an advantage over Tarrant, I taught him most of what he knows so I knew what I was up against. Like a chess match I moved and sacrificed pieces in order to place him in the position I desired in order to achieve endgame. Chess is a game of patience, unfortunately, Servalan had none so she chose to act before the match had ended and only my old comrade Brotius Shad's timely appearance, confirming checkmate, prevented me from being escorted to the brig. The Liberator was taken.

The night passed quickly as fine wine mixed with soft conversation celebrating our current triumph set the tone. My mood was one of melancholy, as it always was after a victorious battle while Servalans's was one of avarice, for even after winning a prize such as the Liberator she was still unsatiated, she craved more. She tried to manipulate me of course, I didn't blame her, it's her nature. Playing on my ego and manhood she proposed a match between Tarrant and his cohorts against me to see who the better man was. While I felt no need to demonstrate the obvious the offer intrigued me for perhaps in order to truly reach her I first had to prove myself, a knight on a quest for his queen. I accepted the challenge. "If it's a champion you want, I'll be a worthy one."

The warmth of the sun caressed my face as the sweet smell of the planet filled my lungs. Breathing natural air, walking on solid ground, this was how a man was meant to live. Before I could savor it further the sight of web covered landscape and mutilated corpses told me the brutes had started to hatch and a female's scream confirmed it. Tarrant and a woman were about to make the biggest and final mistake of their lives.

"Tarrant, keep still. Don't provoke it."

Two things were obvious; one of them had Kairopan and Tarrant in his eagerness didn't fully research this planet. I encountered one of these creatures as a young man so I knew while they may look slow they could close a short distance in a heartbeat. Obviously I survived and became the wiser for it so I handled the current situation in a more diplomatic way than when I was younger. Getting the thing to leave was simple enough, all it wanted was the Kairopan, and as it departed I gave a brief history on the indigenous species of Kairos. I also used the time to size up the opposition.

"Jarvik, I haven't seen you in years. How'd you get here?" Tarrant asked before spotting my teleport bracelet and the answer became obvious. Well, it took him long enough and Tarrant was a man, he deserved to meet his adversary face to face, knight to knight.

Tarrant did his best but he couldn't win, he was fighting for himself while I fought for my queen. The battle was quick and decisive and ended as I expected, or so I thought.

"If you want mine you'll have to take it," snarled the girl I saved, throwing out a challenge.

"There always has to be one," reluctantly I accepted.

"You fight well, but you're still a woman," I had meant that as a compliment but she replied with a knee that narrowly missed my groin, "If not quite a lady."

I had a code I adhered to and harming one of the weaker sex violated it, although if one was as skilled as this one perhaps the code needed amending. Trapped on a hostile planet, with no escape, against a superior opponent she had no hope of defeating, the girl fought on and showed no sign of surrender. There was honor in that.

Bending but not breaking my code I managed to use my superior weight and strength to pin her down, not pretty but effectively ending the battle, however, another was about to begin. One of the creatures was attracted by the fighting and lumbered towards us to within striking range. It smelled the Kaiporan on the girl. Damn.

"This is Jarvik. Teleport. Teleport now." A bit closer than I'd have liked but the smell of recycled air and the feel of artificial gravity told me we were safe. I returned victorious to my queen leaving Tarrant and his rebel comrades to whatever fate awaited them on Kairos.

"Zen, is the Liberator equipped for planetary assault?" Servalan asked the Liberator's computer, her features cold and merciless.

I felt a rock growing in the bottom of my stomach as the bile rose up. I locked eyes with her and didn't say a word, she knew what I was thinking. Raining fire and death from the heavens above on helpless opponents who had already been defeated was craven, it was beneath a queen, it lacked honor.

My concern proved to be a bit premature as Tarrant appeared on the communications screen in what appeared to be a landing module attempting to bluff his way out, and no the irony wasn't lost on me considering a buff is how I managed to take the Liberator. I couldn't contain my laughter, Tarrant had outdone himself. Unfortunately, my queen was not as amused for she took the word of an alien computer over her own eyes. Once more I tried to reach her, to find the woman within, once more I failed as Servalan chose to relinquish the ship and ordered the execution of the prisoner. This had gone far enough."No, wait. There's no need to..."

An instant after stepping in front of the girl I heard Shad's weapon discharge and my guts caught fire. I was faintly aware of my name being called while the floor reached up to engulf me in darkness. As my life dissolved into nothingness an ancient quote came to mind, _Honesta mors turpi vita potior,_ "An honorable death is better than a dishonorable life." Inside I laughed, while there was truth in that, in the end it is still death.


End file.
